New Delhi, Feb 21 (Mayank Nigam) President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday addressed the special session of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly here on the last day of her two-day maiden tour to the Northeastern state. In her address to the members, the President said that discipline and decorum are the hallmarks of the parliamentary system. We must ensure that the content and quality of the debate is of the highest standard. At the same time, we need to build a consensus on the issues of development and public welfare. The President said, Arunachal Pradesh is an important part of India and also a major stakeholder in India’s Act-East policy. The North-Eastern region was deprived of the benefits of economic development for a long time due to lack of road, rail and air connectivity.
But the present government at the Centre has focused on connectivity and development in the North-East. “Today it is heartening to see that there has been a visible change in the support being provided by the Central Government to speed up development in Arunachal Pradesh,” Murmu said. She was happy to note that the ‘sun of development’ is shining in Arunachal Pradesh and added that with rich natural resources and quality human resources, Arunachal Pradesh has full potential to become an attractive investment destination and a hub of trade and business. The President appreciated the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly for implementing the ‘e-Vidhan’ – paperless digital journey – under the ‘Digital India’ programme. She noted that the State Government has declared the year 2022 as the ‘Year of e-Governance’ and has launched several e-Governance projects. She expressed confidence that these projects would not only help in administrative reforms but also contribute in making life easier for the common citizen. She stated that a vibrant system of self-governance and grassroots democracy has existed on the land of Arunachal Pradesh for centuries.
The people of this state have actively participated in the modern democratic process as well, which reflect their political consciousness and faith in democracy. The President said that for the overall and inclusive development of our country, there should be more participation of women in every field of work. The participation of women should increase in all the State Assemblies including the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly as well as in other institutions of people’s representation, she said. Murmu said that to ensure that the people of this region keep moving forward on the path of development without being cut off from their roots, we need to lay emphasis on preserving and promoting the tradition, culture and values of the region. As the people’s representative of Arunachal Pradesh, members of this Assembly have a critical role to play in promoting social change while preserving the richness of the state’s cultural values and traditions, the President added. The President, who was on her two-day maiden visit to Arunachal Pradesh, on Monday graced its 37th Statehood Day celebrations and attended the civic reception hosted in her honour by the Arunachal Government at IG Park here on Monday.